Share

Nintendo Trademarks 'It's On Like Donkey Kong'

Donkey Kong is still on, but you might no longer be.Image courtesy Nintendo

What's the best way to get people hyped for an upcoming game? Obviously: File for a trademark.

Nintendo said Wednesday that it had filed a request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the phrase, "It's on like Donkey Kong."

Calling it an "old, popular Nintendo phrase that has a number of possible interpretations depending on how it's used," Nintendo said in a statement that it was trademarking the phrase in honor of the upcoming Donkey Kong Country Returns, which will be released Nov. 21 for Wii.

According to the indispensable Urban Dictionary, rapper Ice Cube first popularized the phrase in 1992 with the song "Now I Gotta Wet'cha." Since then, things have been on like Donkey Kong all over pop culture – various movies, TV shows and uncreative headlines have used the phrase to emphasize that something is indeed "on."

Personally, I'm OK with Nintendo asserting rights to the trademark, as long as it stays away from my catchphrase, "We're doin' this like Kid Icarus."

What are some other gaming catchphrases ripe for trademark protection? Nominate and vote below.